Coyle happy to call on Bogdan

13 October 2011 03:15

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olton boss Owen Coyle would have no qualms about calling upon Adam Bogdan to play in goal again this weekend.

Hungarian Bogdan - who had been brought into the Wanderers side in place of injured first-choice stopper Jussi Jaaskelainen - was at fault twice in quick succession in the first half of the October 2 clash against Chelsea at the Reebok Stadium, allowing former Trotters loanee Daniel Sturridge and Frank Lampard a second goal of the afternoon each to put the visitors 4-0 up within the opening 27 minutes.

Jaaskelainen, who had picked up a thigh problem in the previous game against Arsenal, is expected to be fit for Saturday's trip to Wigan, but should the Finn not make it, Coyle will not hesitate to select Bogdan once more.

Asked if he would have any concerns about sticking with the 24-year-old, Coyle said: "No, not at all. If Jussi is not fit, then Adam Bogdan will play.

"He is going to have a fantastic career. Yes, he made two big mistakes which led to goals for Chelsea, there is no doubt about it - but if a goalkeeper makes a mistake, then it is a goal.

"He is a great kid, he has played a number of first-team games now and it is the first time he has made a mistake in any game.

"It was unfortunate for him that it happened to be against one of the elite clubs in world football and it had global coverage, but that is the nature of the Premier League."

Bolton are set to face one of their former goalkeepers at the DW Stadium in Ali Al Habsi, who they allowed to join Wigan permanently over the summer after he had impressed during a loan spell with the Latics last season.

Although some might wonder if it was a sale Coyle now regrets, the Scot maintains that Al Habsi's transfer - for a reported fee of £4million - represented good business for Wanderers.

"Ali Al Habsi's move was a fantastic deal for the club in terms of finance," Coyle said.

"He had been number two for a large amount of years at Bolton and he felt that when he went on loan last year that having sampled playing, he wanted to continue doing so.

"With Jussi and Adam there, is was going to be difficult for him and so we did what I think was a very good deal.

"Ali is a great lad, someone who I have a lot of time for. He still pops up to games and the players think the world of him.

"We wish him well - obviously not on Saturday - but over the course of his career."

As well as the anticipated return of Jaaskelainen to the team, Coyle will also have Gael Kakuta, David Wheater and Ivan Klasnic back available for the Wigan game as Wanderers look to bring their six-match losing streak in the Barclays Premier League to an end and move off the bottom of the table.

Kakuta missed the Chelsea fixture as he was ineligible to play against his parent club, while Wheater and Klasnic were serving suspensions that have now been completed.